Product for use as nonrusting and noncorroding antifreezing mixtures



Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED, STATES PRODUCT FOR USE AS NONRUSTING AND NON CORRODIN G AN TIFREEZIN G TUBES Mix- Cyrus D. Eaton, Lansdowne, Pa., assignor to The American Distilling Company, Incorporated,

Philadelphia, Pa.

No Drawing.

Application January 30, 1937,

Serial No. 123,144

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a product and an improved process for preventing corrosion of cooling systems of internal combustion engines and, in particular, is directed to an improvement of the corrosion preventive property of freezing point depressants to be used with cooling liquids of said cooling systems, and more particularly to the attainment of that effect by the use of sodium salicylate.

An object of the invention is to provide a composition which, when added to the usual cooling liquid used in internal combustion engines, will prevent the rusting and corrosion of the ferrous, as well as the various nonferrous metals of such cooling systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide a composition of high efliciency as a cooling liquid for use in internal combustion engines.

Another object of the invention is to provide a composition of high efiiciency as a freezing point depressant of the cooling liquid used in internal combustion engines.

Another object of the invention is to provide a composition which will readily mix with and continue mixed with the usual cooling liquid used in internal combustion engines.

Another object of the invention is to furnish an improved alcoholic antifreeze mixture, containing therein small quantities of ingredients which do not deleteriously. effect the alcohol and which minimize or suppress the corrosion of the metals of the cooling system upon dilution of the alcohol when used in the cooling system.

Among the various substances used by automobile owners to prevent freezing of the liquid cooling media of the engines, alcohol has played a prominent part. The freezing point of absolute ethyl alcohol is about minus 112% C. Alcohol depresses the freezing point of waterand such depression depends upon the concentration of the alcohol in the water. The greater the concentration of alcohol, the lower is the freezing point of the mixture.

Automobile owners, knowing the volume of the cooling systems of their engines, guard against expected minimum temperatures by adding appropriately measured quantities of alcohol. Charts are readily available for the automobile owners, which stipulate the quantities of alcohol to be added to the cooling systems of various makes of automobiles for various operating temperatures.

Alcohol by itself has, however, not proved entirely satisfactory as an antifreeze. This has been due to the fact that-the metalsof the-systems, in which the cooling liquids containing the alcohol circulate, undergo rusting and corrosion.

. The damage caused by such rusting and corrosion is considerable. On the one hand there results actual deterioration of the metals and parts attacked. Radiators begin to leak; solder is eaten away; the joints disintegrate; and the cooling system fails to hold the liquid. Furthermore, the products resulting from the corrosion are distributed by the cooling liquid through the system. The solid products especially tend to clog the radiators and the other parts of the cooling system. As a result of the clogging, the circulation of the cooling liquid is materially interfered with, causing overheating of the engine, boiling out of the liquid, and damage to the engine. The boiling of the liquid also-results in loss of the antifreeze composition.

Ferrous, as well as nonferrous metals, are employed in the construction of the above described cooling systems. The metals are sometimes joined and connected to each other by means of solder. Effective and inexpensive compositions of alcoholic antifreezes, which will act as rust and corrosion preventives of both types of metals and alloys of the nonferrous metals, have been sought.

Among these compositions use has been made of light hydro-carbon mineral oils, such as kerosene, d spersed in absolute or high-proof alcohol. The light hydro-carbon mineral oils have been known to function as rust and corrosion preventives. Such compositions, however, are not always stable on dilution and the oils separate out, with consequent loss of the corrosion preventive effect of the light hydro-carbon mineral oils. The separation of the light hydro-carbonmineral oil from the alcohol on dilution is suppressed by the addition to the mixture of a small quantity of sulfonated castor oil. Such a mixture is an effective rust and corrosion preventive, when used for antifreezing purposes.

I have found that, although compositions of alcohol, light hydrocarbon mineral oil, such as kerosene, and a small quantity of sulfonated castor oil are rust and corrosion preventives, they sometimes do stain the metallic surfaces, with subsequent discoloration of the liquid medium. This staining and discooration may, however, be obviated, as I have found, by the addition to such a composition of a small quantity of sodium salicylate.

When a composition, which consists simply of completely denatured alcohol and sodium salicyiate in the proportions of one-tenth of a gram of the salicylate to cubic centimeters of the alcohol, is used for test purposes, I have found that it will produce rusting within twenty-four hours. If, however, there be added to the same composition one cubic centimeter of kerosene and three one-hundredths of a cubic centimeter of sulfonated castor oil, a test solution so made results in complete inhibition of stain formation on the metallic surface for a period of nine days and the liquid remains undiscolored.

I have found that the sulfonated castor oil content in a composition of the foregoing character may range in the proportions of one onehundredth of a cubic centimeter to one-tenth of acubic centimeter for each cubic centimeter of the light hydrocarbon mineral oil. An effective specific composition consists of one hundred cubic centimeters of completely denatured alcohol, four and two-tenths cubic centimeters of kerosene, three-tenths of a cubic centimeter of sulfonated castor oil and one-tenth to four-tenths of a gram of sodium salicylate.

A composition of the foregoing character may be used for testing its staining eflect and nondiscolorable property as follows:

One volume of theforegoing composition is diluted with three volumes of tap water. There is then immersed into the liquid a bundle of strips of iron, brass, aluminum and solder. The liquid is maintained at a temperature from Fahrenheit'to Fahrenheit. Water is added from time to time to compensate for evaporative loss.

A test such as the foregoing demonstrates effectively the non-staining character of the composition. It will also be observed that the liquid remains undiscolored.

of the cooling system and the temperatures in which the engine is expected to operate. This composition is easily prepared, is cheap, and unusually stable during long periods of storage. It disperses rapidly and completely throughout the cooling liquid.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. A noncorroding antifreeze consisting of Approximate proportions Denatured alcohol cubic centimeters..- 100 Light hydrocarbon mineral oil cc from 1.0 to 4.2 Sulfonated castor oil cc from 0.03 to 0.3 Sodium salicylate grams from 0.1 to 0.4 2. A noncorroding antifreeze" consisting of Approximate proportions Denatured alcohol cubic centimeters 100 Kerosene ..do from 1.0 to 4.2 Sulfonated castor oil dofrom 0.03 to 0.3 Sodium salicylate grams from 0.1 to 0.4

CYRUS D. EATON. 

